Page 67

It was dark by the time Hawk and I reached the diner with its familiar faded brick exterior and blinking HOT COFFEE sign.

It was a good time for a meeting. The travelers passing through were mostly gone, and the dinner rush hadn’t ended yet.

The waitress waved me to my preferred corner booth and brought me coffee without saying a word.

Hawk took a seat at the bar. He was far enough away to give me space to speak to this dealer—whoever he was—but close enough to step in if things went sideways.

A few minutes later, an unfamiliar man strode in.

He was tall, bald, with tattoos all the way up to his jaw.

He looked like he could’ve run a motorcycle club thirty years ago and that the intervening years hadn’t treated him well.

He slid into the booth across from me, bringing the stench of cigarette smoke with him.

“Castille,” I said.

“Ace. Heard a lot about you.”

“Wish I could say the same,” I said.

Castille grinned. “That’s the way I like it. Under the radar. I heard the Lakeview clan was going clean. What do you all want to do with a homegrown salesman like me?”

“We’re clean,” I confirmed. “I’m just here for information.”

Castille scowled. “I don’t deal in information. I’m a broker of things. Real things. Not gossip and secrets.”

“I’ve got the kinds of connections that can boost your business.”

“You don’t even know what kind of business I do.”

I chuckled. “If I did, you’d probably be doing a lot better.”

Castille scowled. “What’s this really about?”

“It’s about my brother,” I said. “Sean. I know you’re dealing with him.”

“I’ve got a lot of customers,” Castille said cagily.

The guy was irritating me. I didn’t have time to sit around and talk in circles, especially with a low-ranking nobody ‘broker’ like this guy.

“Here’s what I’m offering,” I said curtly. “I want you to tell me what Sean wants from you, and I want you to cancel the deal. I know he’s probably screwed you over and hasn’t been able to hold up his end.”

Castille scowled. That was as good as an affirmation.

“In return, I can set up a meeting with my former gunrunner. My guy has connections at the border up north.”

Castille’s eyes widened. I knew that was a real enticement for low-level guys like him.

If he could get guns across the border without trouble, his business would skyrocket.

I didn’t know if my former weapons guy Michel would actually help him, but I could organize a meeting.

Whatever happened after that was up to Michel.

He took a sip of his coffee, then nodded. “I’ll take that deal. Like you guessed, Sean isn’t exactly a reliable buyer.”

“What’s he been looking for?” I asked.

“Guns,” Castille said. “That’s within my reach. He also wanted men. Muscle for whatever he was planning. I’m not a fuckin’ hiring manager.”

“You sold him the guns?”

“Half of them. I’m meant to deliver them to his compound when the money comes through. He wasn’t happy with that. He wanted more than he could pay for and offered me a trade for the rest.”

“What kind of trade?”

Again, Castille scowled. “Like I said. I’m not a fuckin’ hiring manager. Or a pimp. I didn’t want anything to do with that.”

My dragon bristled with rage and disgust. If Sean was getting involved in human trafficking out of desperation, he was farther gone than I had imagined.

“Cancel the deal,” I said. “Once I’ve got proof you have, I’ll connect you with my guy at the border.”

Castille nodded. “You’ve got some serious beef with your brother, don’t you?”

“You have no idea,” I growled. “He’ll be out of the picture soon.”

“Pleasure doing business with you,” Castille said with a slimy grin. He offered his hand to shake, and I accepted it.

When Castille left, he tipped an invisible hat to Hawk. He’d known Hawk was one of my guys but hadn’t made a stink about it. It was another reason I knew Castille would hold up his end of the deal.

Hawk joined me in the booth. “Seems like that went well.”

“Doesn’t look like Castille is a bad guy. Just a little skeezy.”

“So, similar to most of the guys we’ve worked with in the past,” Hawk said.

“Yeah. Cash motivates him. As long as we can outbid Sean, he’ll be in our pocket.”

“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Hawk said. He waved the waitress over and ordered a burger. I shook my head when she asked what I wanted. I wasn’t hungry—not for diner food, at least.

“I think this is gonna work,” Hawk said. “Ice Sean out of all his resources, and a challenge will be his only option remaining.”

“I hope so.” I looked down into my half-finished coffee mug. It had to work because I was quickly running out of options.

“Hey.” Hawk reached across the table and briefly squeezed my wrist. “It’s gonna work. And then it’ll all be over.”

The waitress walked over with his burger, and Hawk clapped his hands together. “Go ahead and head back home. I know you want to be with Harley right now.”

I grinned. “I really fucking do. I’ll see you later, Hawk.”

Hawk waved at me, his mouth already full of burger. I left Lola’s in a rush, hopped on my bike, and headed back home where Harley was waiting for me. The searing kiss she’d given me was burned into my memory and on my lips.

The house was dark and quiet when I arrived.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside, and my sharp ears listened closely for the sounds of wakefulness.

It sounded like Dylan was asleep, as was Cassidy.

Striker was asleep on the couch; I didn’t wake him.

His dragon would want him to stay close to Cassidy, and more security was better than less.

I crept up the stairs. All the lights in the hall were dark, save for the one at the end. Not the guest room Harley had been sleeping in, but my room. My dragon could sense her behind the door. Anticipation and desire thrummed through me as intensely as a heartbeat.

I pushed the door open slowly, and the sight that greeted me made my breath catch in my throat.

Harley was spread out on my bed. Her cheeks were flushed, her chestnut hair forming a gorgeous halo on my pillow.

She was wearing one of my old, threadbare garage shirts.

The collar was so stretched out I could see the curve of her shoulder and that tantalizing pale skin on her neck.

Her legs were bare, and my mouth watered at the thought of what awaited me under the shirt.

“Hi,” she said with a small, sweet smile, like she was shy.

I closed the door behind me. “You look gorgeous,” I growled.

I gripped the collar of my shirt behind my head and pulled it off in one smooth motion.

Harley’s gaze darkened with interest, then darted over my chest, like she was drinking me in.

I loved it when she dropped the last vestiges of her shyness and really looked at me.

She was the only woman I ever wanted to look at me like that.

I stalked to the foot of the bed, then crawled over Harley so I was on my hands and knees above her. God, she looked as gorgeous as ever beneath me, with her eyes half-lidded and her cheeks flushed with desire.

I leaned down and kissed her. Her lips were soft and plump against mine, and they parted easily to allow my tongue entrance.

Desire coursed through me, hot and insistent.

My cock strained against my jeans. I needed to be closer to her, all over her, inside her.

My dragon wanted to lick her entire body, claim her, and make her ours forever.

We never wanted to be parted from her again.

I slid my hand under the T-shirt, over her hip, and up to the curve of her waist. Her skin was warm and soft, and she arched up into my touch and sighed into the kiss.

No bra. I broke the kiss just long enough to grab the hem of her shirt in both hands and pull it over her head.

I wasn’t too graceful with it, and she laughed when I got the collar stuck on her chin.

When she was finally free of the shirt, I tossed it aside and took a moment to admire her perfect body: her waist, her soft belly, the curves of her full breasts. She blushed under the attention, and that only made me want her more.

Her panties were black satin with a little bit of lace detailing.

Pretty. I wanted to tear them off with my teeth.

Instead, I leaned down and kissed her shoulders, chest, and then drew my mouth over her breasts.

When I flattened my tongue over her nipple, she gasped and grabbed my shoulders, rocking against me.

“Feels so good, Steph,” she whispered.

“Want you to feel good,” I murmured, digging my fingers into her plush ass. “Love you so much, Harley.”

“Love you, too,” she said with a sigh, then tugged my head up for another kiss.

She wrapped one leg around my thighs, pulling me closer. I was hyper-aware of the fact that I was still wearing my jeans. My cock was pressing against the zipper so hard it was nearly painful. I needed to be inside her yesterday.

It’d been too long. I’d thought I lost her. I was never going to get that close to losing her again.

I broke the kiss and reluctantly inched backward, just long enough to rid myself of my jeans and underwear. Then I was back on top of her with nothing but the thin layer of satin between us.

She wrapped her legs around me, pulling me close so our bodies were flush.

I buried my face in the crook of her neck and groaned in pleasure.

My hard length slid across the satin between her legs, where she was hot and damp, and the slick fabric made the sensation even more tantalizing.

I grasped her thigh, holding her close, and thrust forward like I was already fucking her.

Harley trembled at the sensation and dug her fingers into my shoulders.

The tiny pressure points only heightened my own pleasure.

“Fuck, I need you,” I groaned.

“Need you too,” Harley gasped. “Now, Steph. Please.”

God, I loved hearing her say please . I’d never get sick of it.

With some effort, I worked a hand between us and hooked my fingertips into the waistband of her panties.

I wrenched them down, and she giggled and wiggled around beneath me until the fabric was down around her ankles.

She managed to get one foot out, and that was enough for me.

I grabbed her legs and hiked them up around my waist as I pressed forward.

My cock slid against her wet pussy, but this time, there was no fabric separating us.

Harley gasped and rocked her hips up to meet me.

I shifted back and forth, sliding over her clit.

Sweat beaded on Harley’s temples, her neck, and I couldn’t resist licking it off her skin. It was an addictive taste.

“So good,” she moaned. “Stop teasing.”

“Not teasing,” I said against her skin. “Enjoying myself. Aren’t you?”

“You’re a demon,” she groaned. She raked her hand through my hair and tightened her fist, sending a little zing of pleasure down my spine.

Part of me wanted to stay like this forever. Wrapped up in Harley, her arms and legs both around me, keeping me close, the slick heat of her pussy so close but not quite there. It was as close as I’d ever been to heaven.

But my dragon didn’t want to fuck around anymore. We finally had our mate back beneath us, and he needed her in every way possible.

I pulled back until the head of my cock slid against her entrance, then pressed inside.

Harley let out the prettiest sound I’d ever heard, and I nearly drowned in the pleasure.

It felt so fucking good, so much better than anything else I’d ever felt, anyone else I’d ever been with.

Tight. Wet. A perfect fit. I caught her lips in a hard, sloppy kiss.

I just needed to taste her, needed to be as close to her as I could get.

When I began to move, Harley broke the kiss. Each stroke jolted a small sound out of her, and she threw her head back against the pillow.

And there, on display for me, was the beautiful, pale expanse of her neck.

My dragon surged forward with an unexpected, ferocious intensity.

Claim. Claim her. Now. Claim our mate. The urge was so strong I couldn’t stop my fangs from lengthening.

It only made the pleasure more intense. I thrust into her harder, enough to jolt the bed frame against the wall.

My dragon encouraged me to go faster, take more, make her feel so good she’d never want anyone else.

Claim.

“Harley,” I groaned. My release was building inside me, faster than ever. I pressed my face into her neck.

My dragon was loud, but I was in control. I wouldn’t claim her yet, not before she was ready. I pressed the flats of my fangs to her skin. The contact buzzed through me like lightning. From the way Harley gasped and tugged me impossibly closer, I wondered if she felt it, too.

The pleasure built and built and then broke, and I came with a long, low groan. Through the haze, I felt Harley come with me, her whole body twitching and shaking with it as I rode out the end of my orgasm.

As we caught our breath, I moved to roll off Harley, not wanting to crush her under my weight, but she huffed and hugged me closer. “Stay.”

I kissed her neck again. “Of course I’ll stay. Whatever you want.”

This was my home. This was where I belonged. Being with Harley was everything I’d ever wanted. Even if my dragon was still restless inside me, I’d wait to claim her until she was ready. I didn’t care how long it took.